Friday 28th
February 2020. Read Isaiah 58:1-9, Psalm 51, and Matthew 9:14-15)_
_“Behold,
you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like
yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast
that I choose, a day for a man to humble himself?” *(Isaiah 58:4-5)*_
The
disciples of John asked Jesus: “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your
disciples do not fast?” It is possible that the disciples of Jesus were fasting
but did not show it. As Jesus told us in our Gospel passage on Ash Wednesday: “When
you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their
faces that their fasting may be seen by men. … When you fast, anoint your head
and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father
who is in secret.” (Matthew 6:16-18)
However, even
if the disciples of Jesus were not fasting, there was no need to fast because Jesus,
the bridegroom, was right there. We should not fast because it is a fasting
season or because everyone around us is fasting. Our fasting must have a genuine
purpose and must be done according to the mind of God.
Fasting is
not merely a deprivation from food or other pleasurable things, it is a spiritual
exercise that involves our whole being. If fasting, we are engaged in quarrelling,
fighting or acts of wickedness, Isaiah says these things will prevent our
fasting from reaching heaven.
If you
must fast, let not your hunger become an occasion for anger, fighting or
bitterness. It is better to eat well and control your temper than to allow your
hunger to push you into sin.
The type
of fasting that pleases God is: “to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the
thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, to break every yoke… to share
your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when
you see the naked, to cover him” (Isaiah 58:6-7)
Fasting is
good but your fasting is useless if nobody benefits from it. Fast from selfishness,
fast from self-centeredness, leave your comfort zone, visit the poor, the
lonely, the oppressed, those who have nowhere to stay or cannot afford to buy
clothes and help as much as you can.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, may my fast find favour in your sight. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday after
Ash Wednesday. Bible Study: Isaiah 58:1-9, Psalm 51, and Matthew 9:14-15).
No comments:
Post a Comment